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Concrete is well-known its compressive and tensile strength, if reinforced by steel bars. As such, it is one of the most versatile construction materials on the planet. Concrete is an a highly flexible material, able to take any forms and shapes that builders want. With the help of a few finishing techniques, we can use concrete as decorative features that are long-lasting and beautiful. Join us as we guide you through various type of concrete finish so that you can pick one for your future project. Here are some types of common concrete finishes.
Troweled Finish
One of the most basic types of concrete finishes. Troweled finish is the go-to option for most major projects. After pouring the concrete into the formworks, workers will start using trowels to smooth and fine-level the surface of the concrete. The result is an extremely smooth texture that, while simple, can be quite aesthetically pleasing to some.
For small projects, workers usually use trowel which consists of a flat steel base and a handle attached to it. They then push and pull the trowel across the concrete’s surface.
However, in major projects, it may be time-consuming to do all of the troweling by hand. Therefore, workers use mechanized trowels resembling large fans over large surfaces.
Broom Finish
Broom finish is another type of common concrete finishes. To create a broom finish, workers would drag steel brooms over those surfaces while the concrete is still fresh. The result is a rough texture finish that provide improved traction and reduce slipperiness of a surface. Broom finish is often used in the construction of driveways and walkways.
Stamped Concrete Finish
Stamped concrete finish is a type of finish that is a little bit more decorative than the two previous types. It is sometimes referred to as textured or imprinted concrete. To achieve stamped concrete finish, workers would often use textured forms and press them against the wet concrete. The end result is a surface which resembles tiles, bricks. With proper skills and equipment, workers can even create a wood-like surface with this technique.
Stamped concrete is a innovative and intelligent application of the properties of concrete. Due to it decorative nature, stamp concrete finishes are widely applied for floor in patios, car porch, driveways and sidewalks.
Salt Finish
Salt finish is one of the types of concrete finishes that are attractive. To obtain salt finishes, workers would insert rock salt crystals, then use rollers on the freshly placed concrete surfaces. Next, they wash it off with streams of water after curing the concrete.
This finish gives a decorative, rough subtle texture and skid resistance to plain or colored concrete. It is mainly used for swimming pools or other wet areas.
Exposed Aggregate Finish
An exposed aggregate surface is obtained by placing concrete and then removing the top layer of cement paste to uncover coarse decorative aggregate. The most popular decorative aggregates include natural stones rich in color such as basalts, granite, quartz, or limestone. But you can also use materials such as recycled colored glass or seashells and other interesting objects seeded into the surface of the concrete.
Swirl Finish
If you need a slip resistant surface but broom finish is too rough, you can choose swirl finish instead. In order to create this type of finish, workers smear the concrete surface in a uniformly overlapping circular pattern.
Swirl finish is generally preferred thanks to it being aesthetically pleasing. Not only that it adds beauty to the surface, it also provides safer traversal during wet conditions when compared to smooth finish. As a result, swirl finish is favored for outdoor applications.
Polished Finish
You can polish concrete surfaces to give a freshly placed glossy look that is easy to maintain. We attain a polished surface using concrete grinders that have diamond abrasives. The type of abrasives determines the quality of the finish, whether it will be smooth or coarse. Workers can also apply chemical hardeners to protect the concrete from water infiltration.
Colored Finish
Concrete can be colored in a variety of ways, but integral color and color hardener are two popular options, especially outdoors. Workers usually add integral color to the concrete mix before pouring. Meanwhile, they would broadcast color hardener onto freshly placed concrete and finish it into the surface. Both of these colored finishes can be used alone or combined with various texturing methods such as stamping, exposed aggregate, brooming and more.
Overall, concrete finishing is an important step any concrete project. Not only that the finishes will improve the look, but it also provides beneficial properties, such as increased fire resistance, better traction and slip resistance. If you don’t like your current concrete finish, you can simply hire a contractor to conduct a resurfacing operation.
Decided on Which Concrete Finish that You Want Yet?
Why not give us a call? HBS is a concrete contractor with vast experience in the field of pouring, placing, curing and finishing. With our extensive knowledge in the business, you can rest assured and entrust your projects to us. We also offer demolition and excavation services; in case you require extra renovation to your properties. Contact us and we can begin talking about your projects.
